Just as I was going through this inner awakening, I saw Joyce Meyer on TV. She talked about how she tried to build her ministry for 10 years without much success. But God was using that time in her life to show her how to trust in Him and to prove to her that anything good coming from her ministry would only be because of God's provision. She said that if her ministry had succeeded right away, then she would have easily taken all the credit. She described those years as her "wilderness" years. Just as God had to take the children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years, many believers go through times that are frustrating and apparently unfruitful. But those times are necessary for two reasons: to reveal our sin to us and to teach us dependence on Him. This is what I have just come out of and I am now able to look back and understand what He was teaching me.
Hebrews chapters 3 & 4 both talk about the Israelites in the wilderness. These chapters confirmed to me that this analogy of walking through the wilderness can accurately be applied to my own walk with God. The author of Hebrews is warning his fellow believers against having a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God like the children of Israel did (as described in Psalm 95). Believers need to encourage each other daily so that we don't become hardened by sin's deceitfulness (i.e. the deceitful thought that we can go even one day without God, in our own strength and "goodness").
God said that they would not enter His "rest" because of their disobedience and unbelief. What is His "rest"? Was it the Promised Land? Hebrews says, "... if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God."
Is this "rest" referring to Heaven? Was God saying that all of those people in the wilderness would not be able to get into Heaven? In that case, it would seem that this passage should be directed at unbelievers, but it's not. Then chapter 4 verse 11 says, "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest." This could easily be misinterpreted to mean - work hard to be worthy of heaven. But it is exactly the opposite of that! Verse 10 says, "for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His." The rest that God offers us if from our own works.
I don't know if I can communicate how big this concept is for me.
The sin that kept the Israelites from entering the Promised Land was trusting in their own strength and power to deliver them from the enemy. It seems amazing that the people had not yet learned to fully trust in God. How much more could God have done to prove His power and strength? Let's review the miracles that the Israelites had seen up to that point:
- 10 supernatural plagues directed at the Egyptians demonstrating God's power over all of their gods, during which the Israelites were spared, including even death during the Passover
- Being led out of Egypt with a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night
- The parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of the Egyptian army
- The miraculous provision of mana and quail every day
- Getting water from a rock
- Victory in battle (as long as Moses had his hands raised to heaven, demonstrating that the victory was not done with the strength of soldiers)
All of those events occurred within the first two months of the exodus
- Events at Mount Sinai: smoke billowing from the mountain as it trembled violently and the sound of a trumpet grew louder and louder until Moses spoke to God and God answered back giving them the Ten Commandments
- They saw the presence of God, in the form of a pillar of cloud, repeatedly descend to meet with Moses in the Tent of Meeting
- God personally gave Moses the Law and the instructions for building the Tabernacle
- Once the Tabernacle was completed, the glory of the Lord visibly filled it.
- When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people followed it. Wherever the cloud settled, the people stopped, and whenever it lifted they would prepare to follow
It took two years for the children of Israel to reach the Promised Land, and yet, even after all of these signs, they still feared to enter the land because they knew they could not defeat the native people in their own strength.
How much does God have to do in order for me to trust Him? Jesus told us not to worry about what we would eat or drink or what we would wear because God knows we need these things. He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field. How much more does He care for me?
Rest. "Be still and know that I am God."
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